Carson Vore; Project Proposal

GIS Spatial Analysis of Agricultural Land Use in Washington State

Introduction
Washington State is a leading agricultural state in the United States which added $10.6
billion into the state’s economy in 2016. The rich soils, diverse climates and large-scale
irrigation make Washington one of the most productive growing regions in the world and enables
farmers to produce over 300 crops each year. Agriculture has remained a key component to the
state’s economic success for decades. Since Washington State is located on the coast, its deep-
water ports provide excellent international trade opportunities. The productivity of Washington’s
agriculture is demonstrated by farmers’ record or near-record yields per acre in the United States
for commodities ranging from apples, potatoes, and dry land wheat to pounds of milk per cow.
Western and Eastern Washington produce different crops as a result of the varied climates that is
influenced by the Cascade Mountain range that runs through the center of the state. With a vast
number of climatic regions, Washington State is the perfect location for almost any type of
agricultural land use. By mapping agricultural land use in Washington State, patterns of what
crops are produced in various regions can be better understood.

Figure 1. Washington State Boundary

Potential Questions
1. What proportion of Washington State land is used for agricultural reasons?
This question varies depending on the year and the seasons. Washington covers 42.6
million acres and on any given “normal” year, Washington has 14.7 million acres of
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agricultural land use. By looking at a recent map, agricultural land use is relatively
constant. This can change depending on county and city needs as well as individual wants
and needs. Looking at a map of the agricultural land use in Washington State, one can see
just how much of the state is used for agricultural purposes.
2. Are agricultural lands more prevalent on the West or East side of the state?
This question will be answered by mapping the agricultural land use in Washington State
and then observing which side of the state is covered more in agricultural land. By
looking at this data on a map, any audience would be able to understand which side of the
state agricultural land was more prevalent. Since the center of the state is covered by a
mountain range, that is the only area that would not have any agricultural land shown on
the map and this will create an empty space that could be confusing to those who do not
know there is a mountain range located there.
Data Sources
There is agricultural land use data for Washington State available from the Washington
State Department of Agriculture (https://agr.wa.gov/fp/pubs/maps.aspx ). I will also be using
other data layers that were given to GIS Primer students to download at the beginning of the
semester. Specifically, I will be using the Washington State boundary and county boundary data
layers I created during one of the lab exercises earlier in the semester. Also, I will be using the
World Terrain base map from ArcGIS Online to show the terrain of Washington State and the
bodies of water in the state. The combination of these data sources will help me create a map that
shows the agricultural land use in Washington State.
Table 1. List of Data Layers
Data Layer Data Agency Year URL Notes
Type/Content Represent
ed
Crop Vector, Washington 2017 https://agr.wa.gov/fp/pubs/maps.aspx Includes all
Distribution polygon, State agricultural
attributes Department land use in the
included, etc. of state
Agriculture
Washington Polygon ArcGIS Current N/A Boundary of
State folder given the state
Boundary to us at the
beginning of
the semester
World Base map Arc GIS 2017 https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?i Shows terrain
Terrain Online d=c61ad8ab017d49e1a82f580ee1298931 under map

Annotated Articles/Bibliography
1. Saavedra, C., & Budd, W.W. (July 2009). Climate Change and Environmental Planning:
Working to Build Community Resilience and Adaptive Capacity in Washington States, USA.

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Habitat International, 33(3), 246-252. Retrieved From:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197397508000635
This article explains how King county in Washington State is responding to the
challenges of climate change, concentrating on how communities develop and enhance
their ability to cope with their changing land. By examining how agricultural and forested
lands will change as a result and how the county created laws and rules for the type of
gases burned in the area. This article made me think about how agricultural land use can
change as a result of environmental and social changes.
2. Kanala, N. (2010). Agricultural Land Use. In B. Warf (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Geography, 37-
43. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781412939591.n20
This encyclopedia entry explains what agricultural land use consists of. It helped me
understand what is considered agricultural land use and the different ways it is used on a
national and global scale. This entry also goes over the most common factors driving
agricultural land use change based on socioeconomic and demographic factors and policy
reforms. This helped me decide on my topic since I am from Washington and I know that
agricultural land use is talked about a lot when it is election/voting time and when the
seasons change.
3. Landrieu, M. L., & Cantwell, M. (August 2001). Washington State Agriculture. Congressional
Record Daily Edition. Retrieved From:
https://congressional.proquest.com/congressional/result/congressional/pqpdocumentview?accoun
tid=44291&groupid=47729&pgId=eb1ff50b-3384-49f3-8b5a-6d23fde75eb1
This congressional record talked about how Washington State was being negatively
impacted by an agriculture supplemental bill. The speakers addressed how the bill did not
consider how agriculture positively impacts Washington’s economy in various ways.
They also stated that agricultural land use has seen some changes in recent years because
of drought and other environmental issues. This record reminded me of how much money
is made from agriculture in Washington and how without it, the state and country’s
economy would see a large loss of income.